Heater for automobile torpedoes.



F. M. LBAVITT.

HEATER FOR AUTOMOBILE TORPEDOES. v

APPLIOATION FILED 13210.23, 1911.

1 ,022,486. Patented Apr. 9, 1912.

UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEioE. A

FRANK M. LEAV-ITT, OF, SMITHTOWN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO E. W. BLISS COM- PANY, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF WEST VIRGINIA.

HEATER FOR AUTOMOBILE TORPEDOES.

Specicaton of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 9, 1912.

Application filed December 23, 1911.. Serial No. 667,531.

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, FRANK M. LEAVITT, a citizen of the United States, residing in Smithtown, in the county of Suffolk and State of New York, have invented .certain new and useful Improvements in Heaters for Automobile Torpedoes, of which the following is a specification.l

This invention relates to automobile torpedoes which are provided with means for heating the stored compressed air during its flow from the vreservoir or air flask to the heater or engine, the effect of which heating is to increase the power or energy derivable from the compressed lair, and thereby to drive thetorpedo either at higher speed or for a greater distance or both. Such heaters are technically called superheaters The invention further relates to such torpedoes in which the power is further augmented by the spraying of water into the heater, which water is thereby vaporized'so that the resulting steam more or less superheated commingles with the compressed air and augments the supply of elastic motive fluid.v Inorder to provide for such intro duction into the heater of both liquid fuel and water, it .is necessary that these be forced from theirstorage tanks under substantially equal pressures. The high pressure required involves the use of strong tanks which add considerably to the weight or specific gravity of the torpedo, and to give them the desired capacity involves difficulty in arrangingA them within the constricted space available in the shell or hull of the torpedo.

The present invention aims to obviate these disadvantages. To this end it provides for storing both the water and liquid Y fuel in a single vessel or container of adequatestrength,fwherein they are separated by a thin partition which is protected -from strain by exact-lyv equalizing the pressures within the water and fuel compartments on opposite sides of such partition.. Such single container may occupy the entire cross section of the torpedo immediately adjacent the air flask, or it may be otherwise arranged to attain the desiredlcompactness. Preferably the two compartments are formed by an inner tank or receptacle of thin metal, the walls of which separate the water compartment exterior to this vessel from the fuel compartment within it: or the water may be placed within it and the fuel outside of it as desired.

The accompanying drawings show the preferred embodiment of the invention. Figure l is a longitudinal section of a portion of a torpedo. Figs. 2, 3, 4 and 5 are` respectively vertical mid-sections of the several valves forming part of the apparatus on a larger scale.

Referring to the drawings, let A indicate the shell or hull of the torpedo and B the reservoir or flask of compressed air. From thisV flask an outlet pipe a leads to a pressure reducing valve C by which the air pressure in the flask is reduced toa lower and uniform pressure.` Fro the low pressure side of this valve leads a pipe b which extends to the heater or superheater D, and from the latter a -pipe c leads to the engine (not shown) which is commonly a turbine, and by which the screw propellers are'driven in the well-known manner. At some suitable point in the pipe or passage a is introduced a starting valve E which 'may be of any known construction, and whereby the air is admitted to the heater and engine at Ythe instant of launching t-he torpedo.

According to the present invention a strong container F is provided for inclosing the water and liquid fuel. This is conveniently formed by extending the outer walls of the air flask B in `the form of a is securely attached a disk or head e.' A chamber G formed within this container F partition H of comparatively thin metal, such as metal sheet or plate, which is preferably constructed in the form of an annular vessel having a central opening for the free passage through it of lthe pipe a and which is supported within the container F inany suitablemanner, as by brackets f f. The partition or vessel H thus divides the chamber G into two compartment-s, an outer compartment I, and an inner compartment J. In the construction shown the outer compartment I is Vdesigned to hold water and the inner compartment J to hold alcohol or other combustible Huid; but. this arrangement maybe reversed by suitably altering the respective pipe connections which will be described.

In the reduced pressure pipe b is formed a slight contraction or choking g` and becylindrical wall d having a flangeto which is subdivid'ed into two compartments by a tween this and the reducing valve C a branch 71. leads to a valve shell i where the duct branches and leads to two Avalves K and L. From the valve K a pipe la leads to the'fuel tank or compartment J. From the valve L a pipe l leads into the water space or compartment I From the bottom of the fuel compartment J there leads a pipe j in which is introduced a check valve M, and which pipe jv leads thence to a. fuel nozzle m through which fuel is sprayed or otherwise introduced into the heater. From the bott-om of the water compartment I. leads a pipe pin which is introduced a check valve P, .whence the pipe p extends to the heater D and lterminates in a spray nozzle g` for introducing water. e

In operation, on the launching ofthe torpedo compressed air is admitted through the starting valve E to the reducing valve C, and flows thence through the heater to the engine; compressed air under the reduced pressure flows through the pipe la, and divides at z', and, opening the valves K and L, flows through the pipes c and Z into-the respective fuel and water compartments, and thereby exerts a pressure upon the fuel and water whereby the fuel is ejected through the pipe j to the heater and the wvater is ejected through the pipe p. to the heater. The pressure available for thus forcing out the fuel and water isl that d ue to the difference in pressures on opposite sides of the constriction g, this pressure being suicient to cause a uniform and moderate but sufficient flow of both fuel and water during the entire time which the run of the torpedo should take. A suitable igniter (not shown) automatically ignites the fuel upon its first admission to the heater, so that va fierce combustion is maintained in the heater, whereby the air circulating through it is heated to a high degree and the spray of water is converted into steam; the commingling steam, air and gases flowv thence to the engine or turbine in a volume so increased as to notably augment the power developed thereby,

In order that thin metal may be used for the partition H, thereby economizing weight and space, it is essential that an exact balance of pressures on opposite sides of this partition should be attained. For this purpose the pressure introduced by the pipe Ah to the branch pipes c and Z mustibe kept precisely equal. The valves K and L must therefore be so constructed as to be opened to the heater prior to the turning on of compressed air at the instant of launching. The valves K and L are to prevent any possible back-how of water or fuel into the pipes /z` and b, such as might occur in hanf dling of the torpedo prior to launching in case it were rolled over. Each of these four valves therefore is held closed by a spring of sulicient strength to prevent any such flow of liquid through the valves by reason merely of the weight of the liquid and unaccompanied by the exercise of the force of compressed air. Ordinary spring-closed checkfvalves might be used for these p urposes, but would be subject to the disad- `Wantage that the fluid in forcing its way through the valve. would unseat the valve against the pressure of the spring, andhence would 'itself suffer a loss in pressure proportionate to the stress of the spring.; so

that if the springs of the respective water e and fuel valves were of unequal strength or exerted unequal vstrains against their valves, this would cause an inequality in the pressures. in the waterv and fuel compartments, which being multiplied in proportion as the area of the partition H exceeds that of each valve seat might readily generate a total pressure such as would burst or collapse the thin partition H. To prevent this result, which would destroy the advantage of the present invention, the respective valves are especially constructed in a manner which willbe more evident from a consideration ofthe detailed Figs. 2, 3 and 4.

Referring to Fig'.' 2 which shows the safety or inlet valves tothe water and fuel v compartments,- it will be seen that each valve comprises a valve shell (these being conveniently formed as one) formed with la valve chamber and a cylindrical chamber, and with a movin part or valve proper having a cylindrica plunger 1- which its as a piston inthe cylindrical chamber of the shell, and having a valve head s which seats in opposite positions, being adapted both to an upper seat s in the shell and to a lower seat s2, which latter forms the outlet opening. The plunger 1" is hollow and receives within it a spring r which presses the valve initially against its outlet seat s2. The respective seats are of unequal size, the valve head s being larger where it fits the upper seat than where it fits the lower seat. The outer area of the lower seating surface is less than the. area of transverse section of the plunger r. When air pressure is admitted to the branch duct z' it acts against the differential area thus formed, and lifts the valve against the pressure of its spring until stopped by the valve head coming against'the upper seat s, in which position the pressure holds it, leaving a free opening through the outlet. xThe space abovethe plunger r is in free communication with the nomi-486 exterior medium (air orwater) by means of a vent r2. Hence the valve is held open by the difference in pressure between'the compressed air in pipes k and Z and the much lower pressure of the surrounding air or.

of pressure communicated through the pipes c and l.

"The check valves P .and M, Figs. 3 and 4 being practically valike one description will serve for both. Thesev valves are in effect an inversion of the valves K' and L but with the omission of the differential feature and atransposit-ion ofgthe .positions ofthe inlet and outlet ports. Taking `the valve P for example (Fig. 3.), its movmg part has aplunger t moving in a cylindrical cavity inv the valve shell, and ahead u which wheny pressed up by aspring t beneath closes the inlet p. 1n plpe p. On being pressed down by the flow of iuidfunder pressure, the' valve f head seats against the lower seat, and thus from the inlet p apparatus in case throu h some prevents leakage past the valve. The 'spring' chamber communicates through a'. vent t2 with the outer medium, sothat lso long as the fluidcontinues tofow under pressure the function of thefspring is suppressed, and the valve held open, leavlng a clear passage to the outlet p2.

To4 prevent the possibility of injuiy to the erangement ofthe pressure `re ucing valve C an abnormal pressure were admitted to the pipes b and h and to the heater D and engine, a'safety valve Q is provided, being conveniently located in the ipe L; The construction of this valveis s own in Fig. 5. It comprises a valve shell having a tra-nsverse passage or cylinder in which 1s mounted a normally stationary plunger o. This is held in place by a shearin m or ke fw, being a lplece ofwire of sulta le meta introduced through coinciding holes in the shell and plunger. This pin is of strength such that vit amply resists the .normal pressure when the reducer is working properly;

but. when this pressure is abnormally 1ncreased the pin gives way, being sheared by the forcing outward of the. plunger fv, which thenvmoves up into a chamber o (see dotted lines) and thus opens a free outlet for the air. through opemngs m w. In mechanical construction. the valve shell is of two parts, the one y screwing into the other and confining between them a cupped packing to prevent leakage around the plunger.`

The pin w is put through a hole in the shell y where it Screws into the socket in the main then screwed home.

simp e, compact vand eiiecti've safety valve.-

' For lling the water and fuel compartments, plugs Rand S are provided. These being in line, the smaller plug S is removed through thebushing of the plufgvR. The liquid fuel. is then introduced through a funnel into the inner vessel, and the plug S Water vis then introduced and the vplug R screwed home.

This invention is susceptible of considerable structural modification without-depart- -ing from its essential features. The specific shape and arrangement of parts shown although suitable are unimportant.

What I .claim is:-

1. In a torpedo, a containing vessel divided 4by .a partition into water and fuel compartments, a source of compressed air, and means for conducting compressed air under equal pressures into both compartments. l'

. 2. In a torpedo, a compressed air flask,a containing vessel vformed against one end thereof, a partition therein dividing its interior into two compartments, and means for conducting compressed vair under equal pressures into bothvcompartments.

against such prolonged wall to form a containing vessel, a partition dividing such ves-v sel into two compartments, and vmeans for conducting compressed air under equal pressures into bothcompartment's.

4. In a torpedo, a containing vessel, a partition therein formingan inner vessel, and l means for introducing compressed air under equal 'pressures into said containing vessel outside and inside of said inner vessel. y

5. In a torpedo, a containing vessel, a pjartition therein dividing it into fuel and water compartments, means for introducing compressed a-ir under equal pressures into both compartments, and a normally closed springpressed valve adapted to be opened onadmission of pressure and.- adapted when opened to 'remain open against'the stress of its spring, thereby avoiding back-pressure on the air due to the tension of the spring.

6. In a torpedo, a containing vessel, a par-` tition therein dividing it into fuel and water compartments, means for introducing `compressed air under equal pressures into'both compartments, comprising a pipe branching i into twov pipes entering said compartments, and valves controlling said branch pipes to prevent back-flow.

` 7. In a torpedo, a containin vessel, a partition therein dividing it into uel and water compartments, means for introducing compressed air under equal pressures into both compartments, pipes leading from the respective compartments, a heater-into which said pipes lead, and check valves in said pipes to prevent accidental flow.

8. In a torpedo, a containing vessel, a partition therein dividing it into fuel 'and water compartments, means for introducing compressed air under equal pressures into both compartments, and check valves Vin pipes communicating with Vsaid compartments com rising a plunger, a spring normally closing the'valve, and a vent opening whereby when ythe valve is opened bythe admission of pressure it remains open against the stress of the spring While such internal pressure continues.

9. In a torpedo, a containing vessel, a partition therein dividing it into fuel and Water compartments, means for introducing compressed air under equal pressures into both compartments, comprising branch pipes and valves therein, each vafve comprising a differential plunger, a spring pressing it closed against the outlet seat and a vent, said outlet seat being of smaller area than said plunger, whereby by the admission of pressure the valve is opened and remains open While internal pressure continues.

10. In a torpedo, a compressed air` reservoir, a reducing valve, a conduit leading from the reservoir to said valve, -a reduced pressure conduit leading from said valve, and a safety valve communicating with the latter conduit, comprising a shell having arelief opening, a plunger closing said opening,and a shearing pin adapted to hold said plunger in place under normal pressures and to be sheared by an abnormal pressure.

In Witness whereof, I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing vvitnesses.

FRANK M. LEAVITT.

Witnesses:.

E. A. MAIN, F. C. FLADD. 

